tsi or rti a

shortstack31489

so i have been looking at some rti a7s for awhile now and i am pretty close to buying but i just realized i can get 2 tsi 500s, cs20, and 4 tsi100s for $600 total. So my question is-are the rti a7s much better than the tsis or should i jump on the good deal i can get? thanks

mdk5068

If you were comparing the tsi 500's directly to the rti a7's, it would be a hands down intelligent idea to get the rti a7's in my opinion. As to the package deal, it will really depend on what you use the system for and what your future intent is in terms of upgrades. the RTI a series is all in all a better speaker than the tsi series. With the rti a7's would come a significant increase in precision and imaging over the tsi's, especially for home theater applications. The deal you can get, however, is a really good one, especially new. If I were you, and I almost was (as i have just recently bought 2 rti a7's, 2 fxi a6's, and a csi a6 center) I would buy the tsi package deal. I would proceed to sell it, and get the better quality rti a series. The tsi 500's alone sell for more than 600 on ebay of all places. Again, it depends on how "good" you want your system to be. You can always upgrade to better speakers, but if you have heard the tsi series and are satisfied, then so be it. The tsi series is not lacking and I am sure you would be happy with it. The rti a series is of a better quality though.

my .02,

Mark

shortstack31489 wrote: »

so i have been looking at some rti a7s for awhile now and i am pretty close to buying but i just realized i can get 2 tsi 500s, cs20, and 4 tsi100s for $600 total. So my question is-are the rti a7s much better than the tsis or should i jump on the good deal i can get? thanks

shortstack31489

thanks for the advice...i never thought of buying them and selling them...i may do that cause i think in the long run i would be happier with the a7s ...i want the a9s but do not have the room for those huge speakers...the a7s are big enough

jimmydep

I'vr listened to the RTI-a5's and the TSI-300's I admit it wasn't the best situation for and A-B comparision but I got a good sense of how each speaker sounded.
They were similar in sound I don't think either one would be a bad choice but the A-5's had a more detailed midrange and a brighter high end.

I have to say thats alot of speakers for $600, at that price the TSI system sounds like your best bet. There are some review threads of the TSI-500's here, and they get high praise.


Welcome to Club Polk
Good Luck

Jimmy

mystik610

As other mentioned, the RTi A's are quite a bit better than the TSi's...particularly for home theater use. If you're the type who gets upgraditis, I would skip the TSi's altogether as they'll likely leave you wanting more. If you're on a budget and are willing to do some hunting, you can score a deal on the now discontinued RTi series, often for less than what the TSi's retail for. I had the TSi300's matched with a CS2 center channel for about a month before selling them and upgrading to the RTi8's, and for what I paid, I couldn't be happier with my set-up right now.

leroyjr1

If I were you I would definately get the RTI A series but I would get either the A5's or A9's. Not a big fan of the A7's

mdk5068

Leroy, out of curiosity, why not the a7's? They have a significantly better midrange than the a5's, but obviously not as good in general as the a9's. Even with a sub, I would think the a7's are the most popular. Just curious, thanks!

leroyjr1 wrote: »

If I were you I would definately get the RTI A series but I would get either the A5's or A9's. Not a big fan of the A7's

mystik610

mdk5068 wrote: »

Leroy, out of curiosity, why not the a7's? They have a significantly better midrange than the a5's, but obviously not as good in general as the a9's. Even with a sub, I would think the a7's are the most popular. Just curious, thanks!

Its a matter of personal preference of course, but IMO the A5's + a good sub > A7's. The A7's have the two extra woofers to give them better low frequency performance, but only have 1 mid-bass driver vs the A5's 2 mid-bass drivers. Because of this, I would think the A5's would outperform the A7's in the mid-range...the deep lows that are lacking in the A5's can always be supported by a separate sub.

shortstack31489

okay now i am pretty sure i should go with the rtis but should i buy all those speakers and try to sell them? they would all be new in the box

cnh

Rti-A9s...that's my 2 cents....I don't agree with everything said above. I have some M70s (older TSI-500s--but not quite the same) and I've heard A5s...I prefer my M70s.

I also feel the 7s have less defined/prominent midrange than the 5s or the 9s.

It also depends on how 'big' your room is? You'd be surprised what a good set of TSIs (500s/CS20/200s) will sound in a medium to small room.

RTIs....I'd buy A9s if I were upgrading...and that's about it for the fronts. The 9s are less bright than those below them.

cnh

shortstack31489

they will be going in a small room as of now

royalty

Pardon my french but....where the hell are you getting a deal like that. I would give my left nut for a deal that nice...

cnh

shortstack31489 wrote: »

they will be going in a small room as of now

Royalty has a point....600 for a full set of TSIs...you Won't be able to match that PRICE with the step up Rti-As...I'd consider it seriously!

Is this 'new' or 'used'?

cnh

danz1906

Go for the RTiA series-Check this out!

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84706

leroyjr1

danz1906 wrote: »

Go for the RTiA series-Check this out!

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84706

That must be a scam.

royalty

leroyjr1 wrote: »

that must be a scam.

haaa!

royalty

for 600 you could easily sell those and make a PROFIT.

shortstack31489

yes all of the speakers are new and from an authorized dealer...i work at best buy and through our accomodation i get 65% off all the tsi series

nguyendot

Yeah Best Buy gets a lot of weird accomodations like that. Similar to the 60% off Monster Cable/Power and 50% off Belkin.

mdk5068

You have not said what exactly your ear is for these speakers. Are you going for the best quality or just the quality that will fill your room? The tsi's will fill your room, and give you a great experience. If you are looking to upgrade, however, and keep on getting a better system, I would suggest having yourself end up with the rti a series. Whatever mode of selling and buying you go through, the rti a series will serve you best in the end in my opinion. That 65% off deal should not go unnoticed, though, so I would buy and sell. You would find a ton of people on here willing to take some of those tsi's off your hands, especially because polk direct doesnt have those 500's up for as cheap as you could sell them for. So what is your end goal? Do you have time constraints?

ps: If there is one thing I have found out when upgrading it is that it is not as easy to sell things as you originally think. I have been trying to sell an rm20 set brand new that I got a year ago for a year, at 300, about 400 less than polk sells it for, and have gotten no bites.

shortstack31489 wrote: »

yes all of the speakers are new and from an authorized dealer...i work at best buy and through our accomodation i get 65% off all the tsi series

nguyendot

Be careful - buying and selling through the accomodation (any accomodation) from Best Buy is strictly against the store and accomodation policy.

Generally Best Buy does not allow you to resell anything purchased under its discount for the period of one (1) year from purchase. The same usually applies to accomodation programs since you are purchasing it as an employee of a participating retailer.

I've seen many people terminated and/or legal action taken from doing such things. They do track the serials of stuff sold at accomodation. Last year I saw two employees fired and legal action taken for buying and reselling under the Sony accomodation (40% off XBR and 60% off ES products). Whoops.

Be very careful. Best Buy considers buying and reselling using any of their discounts defrauding the system. Most would argue "once I bought it, it's mine", but it's actually in the job contract signed when you accept the job.